Sandwiched between Jaimie Alexander's breakout role in 2011's Thor and the reprisal of the Asgardian character in its forthcoming sequel is her turn in the comedic action venture The Last Stand. She might be playing the sole woman on a team of gun-toting renegade law enforcement agents charged with protecting their sleepy Arizona town from an invading drug kingpin on the run for the national border, but Alexander feels right at home among her costars, dubbing Arnold Schwarzenegger a mentor of sorts.
Along with all the scrapes and bruises afforded to her by the shoot-em-up flick (for which she does all of her own stunts), Alexander also endured some durable bonding experiences. While not playing high speed, trigger happy old school deputies, she and her costars actually spent a lot of time in the kitchen, preparing Korean food for director Kim Jee-Woon. Check out Alexander's interview below, and catch The Last Stand in theaters now.
[Photo Credit: Lionsgate]
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It’s interesting how appropriate a movie title can be, even beyond encapsulating the central conceit or touching upon some important plot point. Take for example Jee-woon Kim’s The Last Stand. On the surface, the title may only appear to reference that the story revolves around a sheriff whose small border town is the last line of defense against a marauding escaped convict. But there is another connotation: this actioner stars sixty-five-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnie has enjoyed a long, celebrated career of cinematic action heroism, but has reached the point where each new film feels like a last stand, a potential final note of glory for his expansive catalog.
Despite the harsh physical demands imposed by the genre in which he has become a staple, Arnold has managed the remarkable feat of continuing making action films well past his peak. Hollywood has long had a reputation of being a world suited for the young; where age is an insidious enemy. And yet a few special performers have managed to jump into the acting game well into their 30s and beyond with profound success. Others simply didn’t get their big break until they were more mature. We thought we’d take a look at some of our favorites and discuss why it took so long for them to achieve success.
Alan Rickman
Thanks to the Harry Potter films, Alan Rickman is more popular now than ever, but it was a certain skyscraping action classic that put him on the map back in 1988. Rickman was forty-two when Die Hard, his first film, was released. Like many British actors, he got his start on the stage, but he didn’t even enroll in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts until he was twenty-six. So what delayed him from tackling acting sooner? Believe it or not, it was a successful graphic design business, which Rickman ran with his friends. Is it too much to hope for that those friends were the other dastardly thieves on the Nakatomi heist? Regardless of his previous occupation, his maturity upon entering acting school, coupled with the stage roles prior to Die Hard, is precisely what allowed for Rickman’s dazzling film debut.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford has become one of the most recognizable figures in cinema. His resume reads like a who’s who of superlatively iconic film characters. He’s Indiana Jones, he’s Deckard from Blade Runner, and, possibly most renowned, Han Solo from the original Star Wars trilogy. When Ford beat out the likes of Nick Nolte, Kurt Russell, Jack Nicholson, and Christopher Walken, among many others, for the role of Solo, he was thirty-five-years-old. With such raw talent and magnetism, why did Ford wait so long to give performing a whirl? It turns out he had tried acting once before, even got signed to a contract with Universal after he dropped out of college. But after becoming frustrated with his stagnating career, he decided to go into carpentry. It wasn’t until he met George Lucas and worked on American Graffiti that he got back into the movie star game. Thankfully, his rugged good looks only improved with age.
Steve Carell
There have been a great many film stars who began their careers on TV before making the leap to film. However, in the case of Steve Carell, he has jumped back and forth between the mediums with great success. But even if we go back to his seminal gig on The Daily Show, where he was a favorite correspondent, he was already thirty-seven. The first film role that would bring him notice was as the slimy anchorman Evan Baxter in 2003’s Bruce Almighty. A couple more film victories later, he landed the role of Michael Scott in the American version of The Office; Carell now forty-three. Once again, when it comes to burgeoning talent, comedy proves to be a genre without age restrictions.
Dame Judi Dench
When scanning back through all the actors who either began their career or got their big break later in life, one thing that becomes exceedingly clear is that there are far more men in that category than women. It seems the proverbial system is not as accepting of aged female performers as it is their male counterparts. We could postulate in-depth about the superficiality and sexual double standards of showbiz all day, but one thing is for certain, Dame Judi Dench is a force of nature on the screen whose age has not at all slowed her down. Like Rickman, she too got her start on the stage, but won her first major acclaim on British TV, just as she entered her late 40s. Of course, it was her casting as the James Bond franchise’s first female M in 1995’s GoldenEye that broadened her appeal stateside. She was sixty-one. Talent, real talent, has no expiration date, and Dench serves as a fantastic testament to that.
Rodney Dangerfield
Transitioning from one entertainment arena into cinematic fame becomes a common theme the more we examine these late-in-life movie stars. In the case of Rodney Dangerfield, he developed a name for himself as a standup comedian long before his first foray into film came in 1980, when he was just shy of sixty-years-old. His role as the outlandish millionaire Al Czervik in Caddyshack launched him into the filmic comedy stratosphere and made him a fixture of the 1980s. There is something to be said for comedy being more accommodating for this sort of post-mature transition. Comedy does not tend to present the same physical demands as do action films, nor are the standards of beauty as lofty. No disrespect intended, Rodney.
[Photo Credit: Lionsgate; Columbia; Warner Bros Pictures(2)]
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Following an eight-year hiatus from Hollywood, courtesy of his time as The Governator (of California), Arnold Schwarzenegger has proven he is back – and is still a fully capable action star at 65-years-old. In his first starring role since Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Schwarzenegger teamed up with famed South Korean director Jee-Woon Kim for an entertaining, action-packed The Last Stand, bringing in plenty of laughs on the big screen.
After moving out of Los Angeles and leaving the city’s police department, Sheriff Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) is living a simple life in the quiet border town of Sommerton. But when Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), a dangerous drug lord escapes from Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) and the FBI, heading towards Mexico, it is up to Sherriff Owens and his inexperienced staff, including gun-loving Lewis Dinkum (Johnny Knoxville) to save the day.
Hollywood.com recently sat down with Schwarzenegger and Knoxville to weigh in on the worst injuries they’ve suffered in their careers (gentlemen, you may cringe at Knoxville’s response), what appealed to Schwarzenegger about this film and why older guys in Tinseltown are still today’s action heroes.
“It was not like beating around the bush and pretending like I’m a 30-year-old action hero, but it acknowledges the age, and I even make a joke about the age,” Schwarzenegger explains about making fun of his elder age onscreen. “It’s like Clint Eastwood did in In the Line of Fire when he ran next to the president’s limo to protect him, and he all of a sudden ran out of breath and is huffing and puffing.”
The Last Stand hits theatres Friday, Jan. 18. Check out the interview with the odd couple below:
[Photo Credit: Lionsgate]
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At 65, Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be the big screen's likeliest hero. But judging from the trailers for January's The Last Stand, the action mainstay is fully prepared to resume his position as cinema's biggest ass-kicker. Age isn't a factor for Schwarzenegger — he's still ripped, more than capable of packing heat, and game to bust any evildoer who crosses paths with his law enforcing character.
In the English debut from imaginative Korean director Kim Jee-woon, Schwarzenegger plays Ray Owens, a former LAPD narcotics agent who takes on a sheriff duties in a small border town. Thinking he's out of harm's way for good, Owens' life is turned upside down when the head honcho of the country's biggest drug cartel escapes imprisonment and flees to Mexico. Like any good Schwarzenegger character, Owens may not be enitrely prepared to blow away an army of bad guys, but he's certainly willing to try. The Last Stand riffs on the elements of a Western, throwing Schwarzenegger into a deadly showdown.
And what would a showdown be without a few friendly companions and a boatload of weaponry? In this exclusive image from the film, Schwarzenegger sizes up his team and armory, Rodrigo Santoro (Lost, Che) ready with the gatling gun seen in the film's poster, and Jaimie Alexander (Thor) packing… a tommy gun? Why not.
Check out the pic below and watch out for The Last Stand, which arrives Jan. 18, 2013:
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
[Photo Credit: Lionsgate]
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Name a thing. Chances are, it gets shot in the new The Last Stand trailer. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a gun, and a badge, a short temper, and a friend with an ushanka (Johnny Knoxville). What he doesn't seem to have is a bit of hesitation regarding taking down anybody who gets in the his way of his mission — which entails stopping an escaped convict from reaching the Mexican border.
While a two-minute trailer can easily maintain this degree of constant action, the final product of The Last Stand will likely have to pad its explosions with character moments between the members of its pretty enticing cast: Schwarzenegger, Knoxville, Genesis Rodriguez, Forest Whitaker, Harry Dean Stanton, and the great Luis Guzman. Add on one of South Korea's premiere directors, Jee-woon Kim, and you have a package whose talent can't be denied. Can the movie live up to Schwarzenegger's legacy of standout action flicks? It does seem as though the film has a good sense of humor about its absurd uses of firearms and flammability; if this holds true, The Last Stand might be an incredibly fun turn for Schwarzenegger, who also has a great history of comedy to his name.
Check out the trailer below, and click over to Apple to see the HD version.
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If there is one thing everybody loves, it’s a great monster film. And if there is one sort of person I can’t stand, it’s someone who doesn’t love great monster films.
But if you aren’t someone who watches movies all day every day, like me, you may be operating under the misconception that America has the market cornered on spectacular creature features. As it turns out, the firmament of world cinema is littered with shining monsters of all shapes and sizes. Thanks to Netflix’s Watch Instantly service, you can expose yourself to nearly the entire international gamut of monster movies. We hope you’ll consider one such foreign monster movie: Korea’s The Host from 2006.
Who Made It: The Host was directed Bong Joon-ho. Along with this fantastic creature feature, Bong Joon-ho also gave us a deeply moving serial killer thriller in 2003’s Memories of Murder. He is also apparently directing a sequel to The Host, which is currently in some phase of production.
Who’s In It: I won’t delve into the entire cast, mostly because I would be in danger of multiple, multiple spelling errors with their names. But I do want to mention the star of the film Kang-ho Song. This guy’s resume reads like a Must See List of some of the best Korean cinema has had to offer over the last decade. He’s been featured in Park Chan-wook’s Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Lady Vengeance, and Thirst as well as Bong Joon-ho’s Memories of Murder and Jee-woon Kim’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird. All films exceedingly worthy of your time.
What’s It About: A batch of long-expired formaldehyde dumped into Seoul’s water supply gives birth to a mutated amphibious create that wreaks havoc upon those living alongside the Han River. When the creature abducts a young girl, her family, (who at first believed her to be dead) sets out on a dangerous mission to bring her home.
Why You Should Watch It:
The Host is an exemplary monster movie on a number of levels, not the least of which being the design of the monster itself. The decision to make it amphibian as opposed to a simply water-dwelling beast immediately ratchets up the terror. It’s one thing to create a reason not to go in the water, but it’s an entirely new ball game when you are no longer safe on dry land. What we end up with is something sort of like a giant salamander/fish hybrid with more appendages than we can count and a prehensile tail, and yet it moves like a great cat when on land. Its eyes are nearly impossible to identify, something that always creates a sense of dread, and its mouth seems to harbor endless compartments of sharp teeth. Basically, not at all something you would want to see tooling around your neighborhood.
The catalytic scene, in which the presence of the beast is revealed, is one of the most jaw-dropping sequences in all of horrordom. Spectators gather to observe a mysterious pod hanging from under a bridge. The pod them drops into the water and what follows is a symphony of carnage and death. The way Bong Joon-ho shoots the sequence, largely from our hero’s point of view as he flees for his life, creates some stunning imagery that serves the dual purpose of creating tension and withholding enough direct exposure to not allow the computer-generated graphics to be so overt. This sequence powerfully asserts the film’s tone and serves as an appetizer for its boldness—even innocent people are torn to shreds.
Despite all the terror, the violent thrashing of claws and gnashing of teeth, The Host’s true power is in its undeniable amount of heart. The pain and anguish of the family of the stolen girl is deeply affecting and yields to a measured amount of bittersweet comedy as they struggle valiantly against their own monster-hunting ineptitude to reclaim her. The relationship between that little girl and an even younger boy she meets in the monster’s lair not only makes for some edge-of-your-seat plot devices, but also furthers the tear-jerking sense of sentimentality and the film’s overall message of love’s ability to conquer all.

You can insert you're own "I'll be back" joke here, because Arnold Schwarzenegger is finally making his post-political return to the big screen. The Governator is taking a role in the new film The Last Stand, from Korean director Jee-woon Kim (The Good, The Bad and the Weird).
Schwarzenegger announced that he was returning to film earlier this year, but originally planned to pick Brad Furman's thriller Cry Macho as his debut. After his paternity scandal earlier this year, however, the former senator is switching gears and opening with a smaller project.
The Last Stand is described as a western about a small-town sheriff who must stand against a Mexican drug cartel. Deadline described the central role as "designed for a 63-year-old broken-down guy with a moral decision." Director Jee-woon Kim further explained the concept as "kind of a combination of Die Hard and High Noon... The Last Stand would be where someone puts their lives on the line to protect something that’s very important."
The issue of whether audiences will buy Arnold as a small town southwestern sheriff seems moot, since people have bought him as stranger things in his glory days (Junior, anyone?). The real obstacle that Schwarzenegger is going to have to overcome is audience backlash, in light of his highly public scandal. Either way, he'll be taking a pay cut on this project until the studios feel safe that he's marketable again. In the mean time, I'll be busy watching this clip. It's way more interesting than a paternity scandal.
Source: Deadline, Slashfilm

When considering the cinematic landscape of our tiny blue planet, or the international movie food court if you prefer that metaphor, Korea has proven itself time and time again to be a stellar standout. This week, Magnet released I Saw the Devil on Blu-ray. As I Saw the Devil was one of my favorite films both of last year’s Fantastic Fest and of last year in general and whereas Magnet seems satisfied combing through Fantastic Fest and making available superb releases of some of its most memorable features, this event has elevated my joy quotient in no meager fashion. I Saw the Devil is a twisted, beautiful, bitterly honest nightmare and watching it again sent me spiraling down memory lane and reflecting on my favorite Korean films of the last few years.
The Good, The Bad, The Weird
Few things have surprised and delighted me more than witnessing a decidedly eastern seasoning lavished upon a classic western. I Saw the Devil director Kim Jee-woon first entered my radar screen with this incredibly ambitious remake of Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly set in Manchuria in the 1940’s. Boasting phenomenal performances from its titular trio and cinematography that redefines gorgeous, the film is simply a delight for the senses. But what really allows The Good The Bad The Weird to blaze a trail all its own is its absolutely insane action sequences. The chase wherein one of our heroes looks up suddenly and realizes the entire Japanese army is on his tail defies written summation and demands to be viewed. The infusion of flawless comedic timing tenders a unique new spin while the Morricone-inspired score feels comfortably familiar.
Lady Vengeance
From a film by the same director as I Saw the Devil to a film with very similar themes, the finale of Park Chan-wook’s vengeance trilogy is quite possibly my favorite. Far be it from me to knock Oldboy, a film that deserves every bit of praise it has garnered from critics far smarter than I, but something about the especially cold, calculating plot of Lady Vengeance makes me cringe just reminiscing about it. The film’s climactic sequence, from whence its similarity to I Saw the Devil is chiefly derived, is among the most gut-wrenching, heart-breaking scenes in all of modern cinema. The exploration of the capacity for upstanding, decent people to corrupt their sense of right and wrong in the name of revenge is a theme elegantly delved into in both this film and I Saw the Devil.
The Chaser
I promise I don’t just watch movies about folks offing one another, but Korea’s demonstrated adeptness at handling the subject is hard to ignore. The Chaser is the story of a detective who, while in a financial bind, investigates the lucrative opportunities offered by moonlighting as a pimp. But when his girls develop the nasty habit of disappearing without a trace, his police instincts, slanted toward dirty cop as they may be, take over and find him tirelessly tracking down a ruthless killer. The violence in The Chaser may be extreme, but in a feat of filmmaking genius, it gets almost entirely subverted by captivating performances and pulse-raising suspense. The narrowing of good and evil to the two leads of The Chaser echoes the intimate, brutal conflict between the agent and the killer in I Saw the Devil. True to its name, the film also has an amazing foot chase that is impressive in its sheer simplicity.
The Host
Oh that’s right, there are Asian monster movies that don’t feature Godzilla. Bong Joon-ho weaves this cautionary tale that should forever curb your desire to pour copious amounts of expired formaldehyde into the water supply. The design of the creature and the intricacies of its movement are breath taking. The Host has terrifying elements that more than qualify it as a horror film, but its deeply moving familial character relationships engender the film with so much heart and make for a bittersweet creature feature. If you enjoy The Host, I would also highly recommend Bong Joon-ho’s likewise spell-binding, if noticeably smaller-scale, Memories of Murder.

As rapidly as it arrived, 2010 is rushing to a close and into the history books. This is that special time of year wherein you will be bombarded with "Best of the Year" lists from every film website in existence. That's not to say there is no value in these lists: Hollywood.com's list is due up soon and my selection will be thusly featured, but the sheer truth is that you have innumerable websites drawing from essentially the same pool of titles and the result is an echo chamber of nearly identical lists. For the most part, we rely on theatrically released films that have already received attention from countless film critics' associations. A vast majority of these films have earned every scrap of praise lavished upon them and their inclusion on multiple lists only serves as further evidence of their greatness. In the ongoing interest of celebrating the lesser known, here are my Under the Radar selections for Best of 2010. Most of these films have not received a wide release stateside and some of them were relegated to direct-to-video, but they are all worth tracking down.
Rare Exports
If you frequent this column than you already know how much I love this film. The Finnish Christmas tale weaves horror and comedy, fantasy and cultural mythology and the end result is a wholly unique, wildly entertaining soon-to-be holiday classic. The moment wherein the young protagonist transforms into a pint-sized action hero is still one of the most memorable film moments of 2010.
I Saw the Devil
Two years ago, Korean director Ji-woon Kim knocked Fantastic Fest audiences on their asses with The Good, the Bad, the Weird, a high-octane, farcical remake of Sergio Leone's classic The Good, the Bad, &amp; the Ugly. At Fantastic Fest 2010, he gave us the decidedly different but no less brilliant follow up entitled I Saw the Devil. This crime thriller pits a secret agent against a sadistic serial killer in a savage game of catch and release. As beautiful as it is haunting, I Saw the Devil was my absolute favorite film at this year's Fantastic Fest.
Best Worst Movie
Some movies are so bad that you can't help but love them. Troll 2 is certainly counted among those guilty pleasures and in fact is one of the premier bad films ever made. Michael Stephenson, child star of the 1989 flop, takes us on a hilarious ride that traces the film’s meteoric rise to cult status and ultimately reminds us what it means to be a cinemaphile.
A Horrible Way to Die
It’s no secret that the serial killer thriller is a dime-a-dozen genre. But where most of these films rely on scares and ham-fisted tension, A Horrible Way to Die brings the character study back into the fray. It’s the story of an escaped killer making his way back to the woman he loved that turned him over to the police, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. A.J. Bowen (House of the Devil, The Signal) turns in an unbelievably layered performance as serial killer Garrick Turrell navigating through a taught, genuinely suspenseful script by Simon Barrett.
Rubber
When describing Rubber, it’s hard not to dwell on concept. When people hear that it is a film about a killer tire, it becomes an arduous task to focus on any subsequent explanation. But the multi-faceted approach to absurdist humor, coupled with the strong performances and interesting cinematography throughout are what keep Rubber rolling long after the novelty of its central conceit has worn thin. Also, the more than slight homage to David Cronenberg is easy to appreciate.
The Loved Ones
Adolescence is a rough enough ordeal as it is without the addition of homicidal obsession. Aussie horror flick The Loved Ones is a bloody, shocking, darkly comedic cautionary tale about what it could cost to shun the loneliest girl in school. The performance from young Robin McLeavy as the psychotic, lovesick Princess is quite literally so good it’s scary.
Frozen
Director Adam Green turns a relaxing day on the slopes into an epic nightmare. Frozen is a testament to the power of close-quarters horror; creating tension in limited space. The peril in which the characters find themselves seems totally authentic and Green manages to create terror out of convention and test his characters’ survival instincts in a truly fascinating way.
Legend of the Fist
Why Donnie Yen isn’t a bigger star in America is beyond me. The guy has all the dedication and technical martial arts proficiency of Bruce Lee and his films of late have been incredible. In Legend of the Fist, as he did in Ip Man, Yen plays a Chinese cultural hero who fights against the Japanese oppression of his people. The production design and story of Legend of the Fist are fantastic, but it’s the fight sequences that allows for this film’s inclusion on the list. With blazing speed and brutal force, Yen dispatches rooms full of enemies effortlessly in a thrilling spectacle of violence.

The Toronto International Film Festival has an impressive slate of films lined up for its 35th anniversary. The Canadian film festival will host 25 World Premieres, 15 Gala Premiers and 35 Special Presentations films from a multitude of acclaimed and upcoming directors. The most anticipated films to debut at the festival include Darren Aronofsky’s followup to The Wrestler, the stately-looking Black Swan, and Mark Romanek’s adaptation of bestseller Never Let Me Go, starring new Spider-Man Andrew Garfield. Robert Redford’s Lincoln assassination drama The Conspirator and John Cameron Mitchell’s tearjerker Rabbit Hole, and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s perplexing Biutiful are also generating some interest and buzz. Less promising features include Stone, a thriller so generic that Ed Norton's cornrows look like the most interesting thing about it, and Trust, David Schwimmer's melodramatic internet predator panic piece. But don't quote us on that, film festivals are always full of unexpected surprises, and you can never be sure what's going to become a hit.
The Toronto Film Festival will take place from September 9-19th. For a full summary of the films appearing in the festival, check out the official list below.
Galas
The Bang Bang Club. Steven Silver, Canada/South Africa World Premiere The Bang Bang Club was the name given to four young photographers, Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva, whose photographs captured the final bloody days of white rule in South Africa and the final demise of apartheid. The film tells the remarkable and sometimes harrowing story of these young men – and the extraordinary extremes they went to in order to capture their pictures. The film stars Ryan Phillippe, Malin Akerman, Taylor Kitsch, Neels Van Jaarsveld and Frank Rautenbach.
Barney's Version Richard J. Lewis, Canada/Italy North American Premiere From producer Robert Lantos, Barney’s Version is a film based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel. Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Barney?s candid confessional spans four decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman) and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman).
Black Swan Darren Aronofsky, USA North American Premiere A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, Black Swan stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company. Black Swan takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect. Black Swan also stars Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder.
Casino Jack George Hickenlooper, Canada World Premiere Based on a true story, Kevin Spacey stars as Jack Abramoff, the former high-powered lobbyist whose bribery schemes and fraudulent dealings with Indian casinos ultimately landed him in prison, and stunned the world. It remains the biggest scandal to hit Washington, D.C. since Watergate. The film also stars Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Rachelle Lefevre and Jon Lovitz.
The Conspirator Robert Redford, USA World Premiere While an angry nation seeks vengeance, a young union war hero must defend a mother accused of aiding her son in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Directed by Robert Redford, the film stars James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood and Tom Wilkinson.
The Debt John Madden, USA North American Premiere Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington star in this thriller about three Israeli Mossad agents on a 1965 mission to capture a notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, secrets about the case emerge.
The Housemaid Im Sang-Soo, South Korea North American Premiere In this erotic thriller, the housemaid of an upper-class family becomes entangled in a dangerous tryst. A satirical look at class structure, reminiscent of the work of Claude Chabrol, this sexy soap opera is a story of revenge and retribution.
Janie Jones David M. Rosenthal, USA World Premiere Aspiring recording artist Ethan Brand gets a stunning surprise on the opening night of a tour – a strung out former groupie appears unexpectedly, pleading with him to care for their daughter while she pulls herself together. Enter Janie Jones.
The King's Speech Tom Hooper, United Kingdom/Australia North American Premiere The King's Speech tells the story of the man who would become King George VI, the father of the current Queen, Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George „Bertie? VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded nervous stammer and considered unfit to be King, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
Little White Lies Guillaume Canet, France World Premiere Despite a traumatic event, a group of friends decides to go ahead with their annual beach vacation. Their relationships, convictions, sense of guilt and friendship are sorely tested. They are finally forced to own up to the little white lies they have been telling each other. Directed by Guillaume Canet and starring: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel, Gilles Lellouche, Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lafitte, Valérie Bonneton and Pascale Arbillot.
Peep World Barry Blaustein, USA World Premiere On the day of their father?s 70th birthday party, four siblings come to terms with the publication of a novel written by the youngest sibling that exposes the family?s most intimate secrets. The project's available for distribution, and stars Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Ben Schwartz, Judy Greer, Kate Mara, Taraji Henson and Ron Rifkin.
Potiche François Ozon, France North American Premiere A bourgeois housewife (Catherine Deneuve) takes on a rough union leader (Gerard Depardieu) in François Ozon's sparkling comic war between the sexes, and the classes.
The Town Ben Affleck, USA North American Premiere The Town is a dramatic thriller about robbers and cops, friendship and betrayal, love and hope, and escaping a past that has no future. In the Boston neighbourhood of Charlestown, Doug MacCray is the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers. But everything changed on the gang?s last job when they took bank manager Claire Keesey hostage. Questioning what she saw, Doug seeks out Claire. As their relationship deepens, Doug wants out of this life and the town, but now he must choose whether to betray his friends or lose the woman he loves.
The Way Emilio Estevez, USA World Premiere Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son, killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking The Camino de Santiago. Driven by his profound sadness and desire to understand his son better, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage. Along the way he learns what it means to be a citizen of the world again and discovers the difference between “The life we live and the life we choose.”
West is West Andy De Emmony, United Kingdom World Premiere Manchester, Northern England, 1976. The now much-diminished, but still claustrophobic and dysfunctional, Khan family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan, is under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. His father decides to pack him off to Mrs. Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 30 years earlier. The sequel to East is East, West is West is the coming of age story of both 15-year-old Sajid and of his father, 60-year-old George Khan.
Special Presentations
Another Year Mike Leigh, United Kingdom North American Premiere A happily married, middle-aged couple are visited by a number of unhappy and lonely friends who use them as confidantes. When an unmarried friend falls for their young son, they watch as events unfold. The film stars Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman, David Bradley, Karina Fernandez and Martin Savage.
Beginners Mike Mills, USA World Premiere When his 71-year-old father (Christopher Plummer) comes out of the closet, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) must explore the honesty of his own relationships. From the director of Thumbsucker.
The Big Picture Eric Lartigau, France World Premiere Paul Exben is a success story. He has a great job, a glamorous wife and two wonderful sons, except that this is not the life he has been dreaming of. A moment of madness is going to change his life, forcing him to assume a new identity that will enable him to live his life fully. The Big Picture, an adaptation of the novel by Douglas Kennedy, is directed by Eric Lartigau and stars Romain Duris, Marina Foïs, Niels Arestrup and Catherine Deneuve. It is produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam.
Biutiful Alejandro González Iñárritu, Spain/Mexico North American Premiere This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever. The film stars Javier Bardem.
Blue Valentine Derek Cianfrance, USA Canadian Premiere Blue Valentine is the story of love found and love lost, told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a relationship on the rocks.
Brighton Rock Rowan Joffe, United Kingdom World Premiere Based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel, we follow the odd relationship between a young thug on the rise in the British underground and a tea room waitress who witnesses a crime he has committed.
Buried Rodrigo Cortés, Spain/USA Canadian Premiere When Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up six feet underground with no idea who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, poor reception, a rapidly draining battery and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time.
Conviction Tony Goldwyn, USA World Premiere Conviction is the inspirational true story of a sister?s unwavering devotion to her brother. When Betty Anne Waters? (two-time Academy® Award winner Hilary Swank) older brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction.
Cirkus Columbia Danis Tanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina International Premiere After twenty years of exile, a husband returns to his hometown in Herzegovina to settle some scores with his ex-wife, armed with a new Mercedes, a sexy new girlfriend and a mangy black cat.
Dhobi Ghat Kiran Rao, India World Premiere In the teeming metropolis of Mumbai, four people separated by class and language are drawn together in compelling relationships. Shai, an affluent investment banker on a sabbatical, strikes up an unusual friendship with Munna, a young and beautiful laundry boy with ambitions of being a Bollywood actor, and has a brief dalliance with Arun, a gifted painter. As they slip away from familiar moorings and drift closer together, the city finds its way into the crevices of their inner worlds.
Easy A Will Gluck, USA World Premiere After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean-cut high school girl (Emma Stone) sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne?s in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently studying in school – until she decides to use the rumour mill to advance her social and financial standing.
Henry's Crime Malcolm Venville, USA World Premiere After serving three years in prison for a bank robbery he did not commit, an amiable but aimless man decides to rob the bank for real. His plan involves infiltrating a local theatre company, but his scheme gets complicated when he falls for the company?s lead actress. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan, Fisher Stevens, Peter Stormare, Danny Hoch and Bill Duke.
The Illusionist Sylvain Chomet, United Kingdom North American Premiere From the director of The Triplets Of Belleville comes a film of grace and unique beauty. Working from a never-produced script written by Jacques Tati for his daughter, Chomet tells the story of a magician who was pushed aside by rock and roll, yet finds one young girl who appreciates his magic. The film stars Jean-Claude Donda and Eilidh Rankin.
In A Better World Susanne Bier, Denmark/Sweden International Premiere The story traces elements from a refugee camp in Africa to the grey humdrum of everyday life in a Danish provincial town. The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait. Soon, friendship transforms into a dangerous alliance and a breathtaking pursuit in which life is at stake.
I Saw the Devil Kim Jee-woon, South Korea North American Premiere A hard-boiled thriller from Korean master Kim Jee-woon, I Saw the Devil is a tale of bloody vengeance against a dangerous psychopath who has committed a gruesome series of murders.
It's Kind of a Funny Story Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, USA World Premiere Stressed-out teenager Craig checks himself into a mental health clinic – where he finds himself in the adult ward. Sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside, Craig learns more about life, love and the pressures of growing up. The comedy-drama stars Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis.
Jack Goes Boating Philip Seymour Hoffman, USA International Premiere Adapted from Bob Glaudini's acclaimed Off Broadway play, Jack Goes Boating is a tale of love, betrayal, friendship and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. The film stars John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Amy Ryan and Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Hoffman making his feature directorial debut.
L'Amour Fou Pierre Thoretton, France World Premiere Yves Saint Laurent built one of fashion's most celebrated empires. This moving documentary chronicles his rise, his lifelong partnership with Pierre Bergé and their decision to auction off a lifetime of precious art and objects.
The Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen Andrew Lau, Hong Kong North American Premiere In 1920s Shanghai, hero Chen Zhen single-handedly avenges his mentor?s death by killing all the Japanese at a dojo in Hongkou, only to be showered with bullets while making his legendary flying kick. Now, years later, Chen Zhen, who is believed dead, returns in disguise to infiltrate a criminal empire and to dismantle the evil collusion that plagues the country.
Lope Andrucha Waddington, Brazil/Spain World Premiere Andrucha Waddington brings famed Spanish playwright Lope de Vega?s passionate life to the screen. The young poet returns to Madrid from war and gets his foot in the door of Madrid's most important theatre troupe – quickly charming his boss's daughter. His childhood friend, Isabel de Urbina, also falls under the spell of his poems. So much seduction eventually brings misfortune and he must flee Madrid.
Love Crime Alain Corneau, France International Premiere Dangerous Liaisons meets Working Girl in this deliciously caustic tale of office politics. Starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier as mentor and ingénue, Love Crime is a remorseless clash of two competing egos.
Made in Dagenham Nigel Cole, United Kingdom World Premiere Sally Hawkins stars as Rita O?Grady, the catalyst for the 1968 Ford Dagenham strike by 187 sewing machinists which led to the advent of the Equal Party Act. Working in extremely impoverished conditions for long, arduous hours, the women at the Ford Dagenham plant finally lose their patience when they are reclassified as “unskilled.” With humour, common sense and courage, they take on their corporate paymasters, an increasingly belligerent local community, and finally the government itself. The film also stars Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James and Rosamund Pike.
Miral Julian Schnabel, United Kingdom/Israel/France North American Premiere From the director of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Before Night Falls and Basquiat, comes Miral, the visceral, first-person diary of a young girl growing up in East Jerusalem as she confronts the effects of occupation and war in every corner of her life. Schnabel pieces together momentary fragments of Miral's world – how she was formed, who influenced her, all that she experiences in her tumultuous early years – to create a raw, moving, poetic portrait of a woman whose small, personal story is inextricably woven into the bigger history unfolding all around her.
Never Let Me Go Mark Romanek, United Kingdom World Premiere Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley) spent their childhood at a seemingly idyllic boarding school. When they leave the shelter of the school, the terrible truth of their fate is revealed and they must confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart.
Norwegian Wood Tran Anh Hung, Japan North American Premiere Adapted from Haruki Murakami's bestselling novel. Watanabe, a quiet and serious college student, becomes deeply devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman with whom he shares the tragedy of their best friend?s death. When Naoko suddenly disappears, Midori, an outgoing, vivacious and supremely self-confident girl marches into Watanabe's life. The film stars Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi and Kiko Mizuhara.
Outside the Law Rachid Bouchareb, France/Algeria/Tunisia/Italy/Belgium North American Premiere Bouchareb's follow-up to Days of Glory is an epic French gangster movie in the tradition of Once Upon a Time in America. The film follows three brothers from childhood in Algeria through turbulent years in Paris, as their paths diverge towards radical politics and violent crime.
Rabbit Hole John Cameron Mitchell, USA World Premiere A family navigates the deepest form of loss in John Cameron Mitchell's screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart deliver captivating performances as a husband and wife who fight to save their marriage in the life that begins again after tragedy.
A Screaming Man Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France/Belgium/Chad North American Premiere One of Africa's preeminent film artists, Haroun returns to themes of family and loyalty in war-torn Chad. A father and son work together at the pool of five-star hotel, but the civil war forces life-and-death choices upon them.
Stone John Curran, USA World Premiere. Robert De Niro and Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined. Stone weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. The film also stars Milla Jovovich and Frances Conroy.
Submarine Richard Ayoade, United Kingdom World Premiere British comic Richard Ayoade delivers his hotly-anticipated feature debut Submarine. One boy must fight to save his mother from the advances of a mystic, and simultaneously lure his eczema-strafed girlfriend in to the bedroom, armed with only a vast vocabulary and near-total self-belief. His name is Oliver Tate.
That Girl in Yellow Boots Anurag Kashyap, India North American Premiere Ruth is searching for her father – a man she hardly knew but cannot forget. Desperation drives her to work without a permit, at a massage parlour, where she gives "happy endings? to unfulfilled men. Torn between several schisms, Mumbai becomes the backdrop for Ruth's quest as she struggles to find her independence and space even as she is sucked deeper into the labyrinthine politics of the city's underbelly.
Tamara Drewe Stephen Frears, United Kingdom North American Premiere Based on Posy Simmonds? beloved graphic novel. When Tamara Drewe returns to the village of her youth, life for the locals is thrown upside down. Tamara – once an ugly duckling – has been transformed and is now a minor celebrity. As infatuations, jealousies, love affairs and career ambitions collide among the inhabitants of the neighbouring farmsteads, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play.
The Trip Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom World Premiere Follow two good friends in this hilarious road movie as they embark on a tour of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales of Northern England, eating, chatting and driving each other crazy. The film stars Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon.
Trust David Schwimmer, USA World Premiere Safe and sound in their suburban home, Will and Lynn Cameron (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) used to sleep well at night. When their 14-year-old daughter, Annie, made a new friend on-line – a 16-year-old boy named Charlie – Will and Lynn didn?t think much of it. But when Annie and Charlie make a plan to meet what happens in the next twenty-four hours changes the entire family forever. Charlie is really a 40-year-old serial pedophile (Tom McCarthy) and, once Annie?s rape comes to light, it becomes a touchstone event that reverberates through the entire family.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Woody Allen, United Kingdom/USA/Spain North American Premiere Woody Allen's latest comic ensemble piece follows a group of Londoners struggling with failing marriages, restless libidos, the perils of aging and desires that drive a series of decisions with unforeseen consequences. The film stars Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Lucy Punch and Naomi Watts.
Source: IndieWire